The Model 1903 was the Belgian version designed to use the 9mm Browning Long cartridge, although it was essentially the same as the 1900. It went mainly to their air force, the Luftwaffe.
The Germans even used the 1900 during World War II and renamed it the Pistole 620(b). The pistol was also copied in huge numbers by both Spain and China, and completely without any licensing agreements. More than a million of these pistols were manufactured through to 1912 and, even though they were never officially adopted for the military, thousands of them were acquired by military personnel, especially by the officer corps of the Belgian Army who had to supply their own side arms. It was actually the first semi-auto based successfully on the blowback operating system. It had zero in the way of frills, and was just a basically straightforward semi-automatic pistol. The first pistol they produced together was the Browning Modele 1900 (Model 1900) chambered for the Browning 7.65mm (0.301) cartridge.
The Belgian Fabrique Nationale d’Armes de Guerre (known as FNH today) was formed in association with John Browning after he left the Colt firearms company way back when.
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